Soyuz Rocket Rolls Out Before Sept. 2 Crew Launch

The Soyuz TMA-18M rocket sits atop its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan after rolling out from the Integration Facility Monday morning. Credit: NASA TV

An international crew of three is getting ready for a two-day ride to the International Space Station. The Soyuz rocket that will lift them to space rolled out to its launch pad today at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Veteran cosmonaut Sergei Volkov will command the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft that will launch Sept. 2 at 12:37 a.m. EDT. Joining him for the trip to the station will be first time flyers Andreas Mogensen from the European Space Agency and Aidyn Aimbetov from Kazcosmos, the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan. NASA Television will broadcast the launch and docking activities live.

NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui unpacked the Multipurpose Small Payload Rack-2 (MSPR-2) from the new HTV-5 resupply ship today. The MSPR-2, which houses small science payloads, was installed in the Japanese Kibo laboratory module.

The rockets are still being manufactured so each one is brand new. The design has gone through several changes since the first Soyuz rockets of the 60’s but a lot of the technology is the same! Very reliable designs make very reliable rockets.

Could you please advise me if it is possible to watch a Soyuz launch live at Baikonur ? Would I require a visa , or visas and are any hotels available near the launch site ? Many thanks in anticipation for your assistance . Yours Gordon.